The Reason Kim Jong-un Shouted "Will Suffer Extreme Fear"

North Korea conducted the first test launch of its new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasongpho-18. Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, who observed the launch, raised his voice, saying, "The enemies will be tormented by extreme anxiety and fear." Considering the difference between solid-fuel ICBMs and the existing liquid-fuel launched ICBMs, it is clear why Kim Jong-un mentioned "anxiety and fear." It stems from confidence that solid-fuel missiles will neutralize our preemptive strike system, the Kill Chain.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 14th, Kim Jong-un watched the test launch together with his daughter Kim Ju-ae, wife Ri Sol-ju, and younger sister Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Party. He said, "The development of the Hwasongpho-18 will greatly reorganize a part of our strategic deterrent force," and added, "Our Party and the government of the Republic will continuously carry out fatal and offensive responses until the enemies clearly feel a security crisis and desist from futile thoughts and reckless acts, causing them to suffer extreme anxiety and fear."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

His assessment that the development of the Hwasongpho-18 will greatly reorganize the "strategic deterrent force" is due to the shift from liquid fuel to solid fuel. North Korea presented a "Five-Year Plan for Defense Science Development and Weapon System Development" at the 8th Party Congress in January 2021, and one of the top five priority tasks in the strategic weapons sector mentioned in this plan was the "development of underwater and ground-based solid-fuel ICBMs." It means that about two years after presenting the plan, they succeeded in the test launch of a ground-based solid-fuel ICBM.

Kim Jong-un’s mention of "anxiety and fear" also reflects confidence in the efficiency of solid-fuel ICBMs. Existing ICBMs are based on liquid fuel. Because liquid fuel and oxidizers, which are highly toxic and corrosive, can corrode the missile if preloaded, they are injected just before launch, which takes more than an hour. This means that the Kill Chain can respond by detecting missile launches within 30 minutes and conducting a preemptive strike. However, solid-fuel missiles require almost no time to load fuel, potentially neutralizing the Kill Chain.

Experts have also warned about the dangers of solid-fuel ICBMs. Jung Sung-jang, Director of the Unification Strategy Research Office at the Sejong Institute, said, "Among our three-axis system responding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, the Kill Chain, which includes early warning and preemptive response, can effectively be neutralized," and added, "The Hwasongpho-18 ICBM is expected to pose a more serious threat to the security of South Korea and the United States than existing liquid-fuel based ICBMs." The Korea Advanced Institute for National Security’s North Korea Nuclear Response Research Group also stated in February, "Although the Kill Chain, one axis of the three-axis system independently pursued by the South Korean military, has secured some strike capability, the method to strike North Korea’s solid-fuel short-range missiles that can be launched immediately upon arrival at the launch site is extremely insufficient."

However, the Ministry of National Defense rebutted experts’ concerns about the "neutralization of the Kill Chain" as "groundless," stating, "Our military possesses the capability to detect, strike, and defend against North Korea’s missile threats to the Korean Peninsula." It also said that this test launch was "an intermediate step test launch to develop a long-range ballistic missile using solid fuel," and "additional time and effort are required to reach completion."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.